Another LED lighting query

[ffutures]

I've now sorted the lights in most of my flat and replaced the CFLs with LEDs. At some point I will probably be dumping way too many CFLs onto Freecycle... but I digress.

The exception is my work room, which currently has a 4ft 36w fluorescent tube. I'd like to replace that, it's on for several hours most days, but it isn't as simple as the bulbs because the fluorescent fitting has a high-voltage starter, and CFLs don't need that. As I understand it there are two ways to do this - one is to rewire the fitting to bypass the ballast and starter, the other is to replace the fitting entirely and put up one designed for CFL from the outset. Fortunately the fitting can be taken down fairly easily - it hangs on chains a foot or so below the ceiling and can be unplugged - so either wouldn't be especially difficult.

Anyone done any of this, and have any information about the pros and cons? In particular, what's the service life of these things - will the cost of replacements outweigh the energy savings?

Comments

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

Earlier this year we acquired our first two LED bulbs, by buying clamp-on desk lamps that use them. One of the two has already stopped working. Buying a replacement cost over $10; I certainly hope it works!

I remember when CFLs started coming out. They were pushed with the argument that their expected lifespan was much longer than that of incandescent bulbs, which would make up for their higher cost. But I kept being unpleasantly surprised by having them stop working in about the same timeframe. I've come to suspect that these new lighting technologies are oversold a bit. The saving in power consumption may still make them worthwhile, but it seems a bit more marginal than if they actually lasted forever. I'm wondering if LEDs will turn out the same way.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

They're currently available very cheaply in the UK, £1 (£1.42) for 3W or 5W lamps, so trying them isn't much of a risk. So far they seem OK, there's one room where I may put a CFL back because it feels a bit gloomy with the LED, but on the whole they work well enough. Lifetime is another matter, of course; I doubt that there will ever be perpetually working lamps (apart from the hideously expensive ones sold for some public service uses that have been deliberately over-engineered for long life since putting up scaffolding or a ladder is too expensive/dangerous to be done frequently). I'm going to keep the CFLs for a while, and see what happens.

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

According to an engineer at Phillips, CFLs last longer when you leave them on for long periods. Turning them off and on a lot greatly lowers their lifespan.

(I had one melt on me and sent it back so it could be analysed.)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I can believe that - the light for the stairs and hall in my flat is always on, I think I've only had to change it twice since I started using CFLs. But that's why it was the first ceiling light I changed to LED - it was a 23W lamp, needed to be that bright to light the stairs above and below the main floor of the flat, two 5W LEDs are replacing it pretty well. Allegedly LEDs don't have a problem with being switched on and off a lot.